As May is National Mental Awareness month, I started thinking and wondered who doesn’t need a mental health day periodically? I’ve certainly had conversations with coworkers about that but I don’t know that I’ve ever specifically taken a day off for that purpose. I’m not talking about definitive mental health issues as those warrant and deserve time and attention. I’m talking about those times when we lack motivation or are highly stressed or feel momentarily angry or sad or whatever for any or no reason (again, not to the point of depression or any other actual diagnosis).
I realize that vacation and/or PTO days can be used for this type of thing, but I do wonder if it would be helpful for companies to offer one day/year as a mental health day. It should not require utilizing vacation or PTO and it should not require advance notice. It would basically be a once a year get-out-of-work-for-the-day-guilt-free card.
With all the stresses we face these days, including disease, violence, inflation, war—there are so many issues in our day to day lives. Would one day “off” help? At a day and time when we face worker shortages and a lack of talent, we’ve got to consider new ideas and make them worthwhile for employees.
Anyway, something I was thinking about.
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